Internet connection issue

[Alex]

Hey all,

I've had this issue for a while, and since I just found this mailing
list, I figured I'd give it a shot. I've been using Fedora for about six
months now, and one thing I noticed is that whenever I'm downloading
anything (Fedora updates, random files in Firefox, torrents etc..) my
internet connection slows to a crawl. It affects the rest of the network
as well. If I'm downloading Ubuntu updates for example, it takes 2-3
minutes just to load Google sometimes, and the other people in the house
on the computer at the same time notice it as well. I've gotten to the
point where I have to wait until late at night to download anything. 

One thing that makes me think it's something with Linux is that I have
the same issue in , but it does not occur when I download using Windows.
When I download in Windows (XP, Vista whichever), it doesn't affect my
ability to browse the web (or any other computers in the house for that
matter).

I'm just curious if anybody has ever heard of this issue. I'm done
everything I can think of (look at router settings, reseting my router
to factory settings and such) and I'm just not sure what is going on.
The only connection I've made is that it happens in Linux and not in
Windows. If anybody can shed any light into a fix or something I can
try, I would definitely appreciate it!